Dodgers Make First Cuts Of Spring, Trim Nine From Roster

The Dodgers made their first cuts of camp on Thursday, with nine players moving over to minor league camp two days before minor league games begin.

Chris Withrow, Scott Van Slyke, Alex Castellanos, John Wall, Stephen Fife, Michael Antonini, and Alfredo Silverio were optioned to minor league camp, while Russ Mitchell and Shane Lindsay, both non-roster invitees to camp, were reassigned to the minor league side.

Silverio is out indefinitely, still unable to resume baseball activities since his January 23 car accident in the Dominican Republic. Silverio had injuries to his back, shoulder, elbow, and neck, in addition to experiencing concussion symptoms several weeks after the fact.

As for Mitchell, he was removed from the 40-man in February when Todd Coffey was signed. Mitchell was outrighted to Triple A Albuquerque and was invited to big league camp as a non-roster player, and showed up to Camelback Ranch in great shape, but just couldn't find his swing,

"There were no at-bats left for him. He was scuffling with his swing, and not getting any at-bats wasn't going to help him," manager Don Mattingly said of Mitchell, who had a single in 12 at-bats in six Cactus League games. "It's more to give him a chance to get his swing together to give him a chance to compete."

There are now 53 players remaining in big league camp for the Dodgers.

Loney, Guerrier On The Mend

James Loney, who missed the last two days of workouts with a strained left calf, is out of the lineup Thursday for the third straight day, but he returned to the practice fields this morning. Mattingly said the plan is for Loney to be in the lineup on Friday as the Dodgers host the Texas Rangers at Camelback Ranch.

Matt Guerrier, who has also been out two days with back stiffness, will receive treatment today and play catch on the side, though he won't yet return to full workouts. Mattingly said Guerrier might pitch in a minor league game or two to get back on track.

Today's Game

The Dodgers host the Kansas City Royals at Camelback Ranch, with Chad Billingsley making his third Cactus League start, facing Danny Duffy of the Royals.

Starting Lineups

This is the first time in 12 Cactus League games that the Dodgers haven't used a designated hitter. Scheduled reserves for the Dodgers today are SS Justin Sellers, 3B Josh Fields, CF Matt Angle, 1B Jeff Baisley, RF Jerry Sands, 2B Lance Zawadzki, and C Tim Federowicz.

Game Time: 1:05 p.m. PDT

TV: Prime Ticket (first game of the spring for Eric Collins and Steve Lyons)

Radio: None, but the MLB.com audio broadcast can be heard on MLB Gameday Audio

MLB Gameday